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A crowdpleaser in the same vein as last year’s Hidden Figures. It doesn’t do anything remarkable, but it coasts on its galvanizing real life story and the unwavering charm of its talented cast. Stone and Riseborough in particular bring some heart to their characters’ romance, even though the latter gets the short end of the stick when it comes to character development. Perhaps time would’ve been better spent on her rather than on Carell, who thank the lord is entertaining as hell because any drama that revolves around his character feels forced and half-baked. When the film zeroes in on Billie Jean King, it oftentimes shines, so the drama needlessly being diluted across several characters is unfortunate. Nevertheless, an altogether very pleasant experience, especially due to Nicholas Britell’s beautiful score and Linus Sandgren’s unfussy, period-appropriate shooting approach. Sandgren truly does have an eye for the way colors work in tandem, creating a vibrant but calming presence in the background.